Composition and method for controlling plant diseases

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides: a composition for controlling plant diseases comprising, as active ingredients, 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam; a method for controlling plant diseases which comprises applying effective amounts of 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam to a plant or soil for growing plant; and so on.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a composition for controlling plantdiseases and a method for controlling plant diseases.

BACKGROUND ART

As an active ingredient for a plant growth regulator, 4oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid has been known (JapanesePatent No. 4,087,942). Ethaboxam has been known as active ingredients ofagents for controlling plant diseases (The Pesticide Manual-14thedition, published by British Crop Protection Council (BCPC),ISBN1901396142).

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a composition forcontrolling plant diseases and a method for controlling plant diseases,having excellent control efficacy for plant diseases.

The present invention provides a composition for controlling plantdiseases and a method for controlling plant diseases, in which controlefficacy for plant diseases has been increased by the combined use of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam.

Specifically, the present invention takes the following constitutions:

[1] A composition for controlling plant diseases comprising, as activeingredients, 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam;

[2] The composition according to [1], wherein a weight ratio of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid to ethaboxam is in the rangeof 0.005:1 to 1000:1;

[3] A seed treatment agent comprising, as active ingredients,4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam;

[4] A plant seed treated with effective amounts of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam;

[5] A method for controlling plant diseases which comprises applyingeffective amounts of 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid andethaboxam to a plant or soil for growing plant;

[6] The method according to [5], wherein the plant diseases is plantdiseases caused by Pythium spp.; and

[7] Combined use for controlling plant diseases of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam; and so on.

The composition of the present invention exhibits an excellent controlefficacy for plant diseases.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

One of the compounds for use in the composition for controlling plantdiseases of the present invention is4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid (hereinafter, referred to asthe compound I in some cases), which is a compound disclosed in JapanesePatent No. 4,087,942 and can be produced, for example, by the methoddescribed in the patent publication.

The compound I, 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid, may be asalt with a base. Examples of the basic salt of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid include the followings:

metal salts such as alkali metal salts and alkali earth metal salts,including salts of sodium, potassium or magnesium; salts with ammonia;and

salts with organic amines such as morpholine, piperidine, pyrrolidine,mono lower alkylamine, di lower alkylamine, tri lower alkylamine,monohydroxy lower alkylamine, dihydroxy lower alkylamine and trihydroxylower alkylamine.

Ethaboxam is a compound known in the art and disclosed at page 401 of“the Pesticide Manual-14th edition” published by British Crop ProtectionCouncil (BCPC), ISBN1901396142. This compound can be obtained fromcommercial agents or prepared using methods known in the art.

In the composition for controlling plant diseases of the presentinvention, the weight ratio of the compound I to ethaboxam is typicallyin the range of 0.005:1 to 1000:1, preferably 0.01:1 to 500:1. Whenapplied as a foliar spray, the weight ratio is typically in the range of0.005:1 to 1000:1, preferably 0.01:1 to 500:1. When used as a seedtreatment agent, the weight ratio is typically in the range of 0.1:1 to500:1, preferably 1:1 to 200:1.

The composition for controlling plant diseases of the present inventionmay be a simple mixture of the compound I and ethaboxam. Alternatively,the composition for controlling plant diseases is typically produced bymixing the compound I and ethaboxam with an inert carrier, and adding tothe mixture a surfactant and other adjuvants as needed so that themixture can be formulated into an oil agent, an emulsion, a flowableagent, a wettable powder, a granulated wettable powder, a powder agent,a granule agent and so on. The composition for controlling plantdiseases mentioned above can be used as a seed treatment agent as it isor added with other inert ingredients.

In the composition for controlling plant diseases of the presentinvention, the total amount of the compound I and ethaboxam is typicallyin the range of 0.1 to 99% by weight, preferably 0.2 to 90% by weight.

Examples of the solid carrier used in formulation include fine powdersor granules such as minerals such as kaolin clay, attapulgite clay,bentonite, montmorillonite, acid white clay, pyrophyllite, talc,diatomaceous earth and calcite; natural organic materials such as cornrachis powder and walnut husk powder; synthetic organic materials suchas urea; salts such as calcium carbonate and ammonium sulfate; syntheticinorganic materials such as synthetic hydrated silicon oxide; and as aliquid carrier, aromatic hydrocarbons such as xylene, alkylbenzene andmethylnaphthalene; alcohols such as 2-propanol, ethyleneglycol,propylene glycol, and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether; ketones such asacetone, cyclohexanone and isophorone; vegetable oil such as soybean oiland cotton seed oil; petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons, esters,dimethylsulfoxide, acetonitrile and water.

Examples of the surfactant include anionic surfactants such as alkylsulfate ester salts, alkylaryl sulfonate salts, dialkyl sulfosuccinatesalts, polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ether phosphate ester salts,lignosulfonate salts and naphthalene sulfonate formaldehydepolycondensates; and nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkylpolyoxypropylene block copolymers andsorbitan fatty acid esters and cationic surfactants such asalkyltrimethylammonium salts.

Examples of the other formulation auxiliary agents include water-solublepolymers such as polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone,polysaccharides such as Arabic gum, alginic acid and the salt thereof,CMC (carboxymethyl-cellulose), Xanthan gum, inorganic materials such asaluminum magnesium silicate and alumina sol, preservatives, coloringagents and stabilization agents such as PAP (acid phosphate isopropyl)and BHT.

The composition for controlling plant diseases of the present inventionis effective for the following plant diseases.

Diseases of rice: blast (Magnaporthe grisea), Helminthosporium leaf spot(Cochliobolus miyabeanus), sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani), andbakanae disease (Gibberella fujikuroi).

Diseases of wheat: powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis), Fusarium headblight (Fusarium graminearum, F. avenacerum, F. culmorum, Microdochiumnivale), rust (Puccinia striiformis, P. graminis, P. recondita), pinksnow mold (Micronectriella nivale), Typhula snow blight (Typhula sp.),loose smut (Ustilago tritici), bunt (Tilletia caries), eyespot(Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides), leaf blotch (Mycosphaerellagraminicola), glume blotch (Stagonospora nodorum), and yellow spot(Pyrenophora tritici-repentis).

Diseases of barley: powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis), Fusarium headblight (Fusarium graminearum, F. avenacerum, F. culmorum, Microdochiumnivale), rust (Puccinia striiformis, P. graminis, P. hordei), loose smut(Ustilago nuda), scald (Rhynchosporium secalis), net blotch (Pyrenophorateres), spot blotch (Cochliobolus sativus), leaf stripe (Pyrenophoragraminea), and Rhizoctonia damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of corn: smut (Ustilago maydis), brown spot (Cochliobolusheterostrophus), copper spot (Gloeocercospora sorghi), southern rust(Puccinia polysora), gray leaf spot (Cercospora zeae-maydis), andRhizoctonia damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of citrus: melanose (Diaporthe citri), scab (Elsinoe fawcetti),penicillium rot (Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum), and brown rot(Phytophthora parasitica, Phytophthora citrophthora).

Diseases of apple: blossom blight (Monilinia mali), canker (Valsaceratosperma), powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha), Alternaria leafspot (Alternaria alternata apple pathotype), scab (Venturia inaequalis),bitter rot (Colletotrichum acutatum), crown rot (Phytophtora cactorum),blotch (Diplocarpon mali), ring rot (Botryosphaeria berengeriana), andviolet root rot (Helicobasidium mompa).

Diseases of pear: scab (Venturia nashicola, V. pirina), black spot(Alternaria alternata Japanese pear pathotype), rust (Gymnosporangiumharaeanum), and phytophthora fruit rot (Phytophtora cactorum).

Diseases of peach: brown rot (Monilinia fructicola), scab (Cladosporiumcarpophilum), and phomopsis rot (Phomopsis sp.).

Diseases of grape: anthracnose (Elsinoe ampelina), ripe rot (Glomerellacingulata), powdery mildew (Uncinula necator), rust (Phakopsoraampelopsidis), black rot (Guignardia bidwellii), and downy mildew(Plasmopara viticola).

Diseases of Japanese persimmon: anthracnose (Gloeosporium kaki), andleaf spot (Cercospora kaki, Mycosphaerella nawae).

Diseases of gourd: anthracnose (Colletotrichum lagenarium), powderymildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea), gummy stem blight (Mycosphaerellamelonis), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), downy mildew(Pseudoperonospora cubensis), Phytophthora rot (Phytophthora sp.), anddamping-off (Pythium sp.).

Diseases of tomato: early blight (Alternaria solani), leaf mold(Cladosporium fulvum), and late blight (Phytophthora infestans).

Diseases of eggplant: brown spot (Phomopsis vexans), and powdery mildew(Erysiphe cichoracearum).

Diseases of cruciferous vegetables: Alternaria leaf spot (Alternariajaponica), white spot (Cercosporella brassicae), clubroot(Plasmodiophora brassicae), and downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica).

Diseases of welsh onion: rust (Puccinia allii), and downy mildew(Peronospora destructor).

Diseases of soybean: purple seed stain (Cercospora kikuchii), sphacelomascad (Elsinoe glycines), pod and stem blight (Diaporthe phaseolorum var.sojae), septoria brown spot (Septoria glycines), frogeye leaf spot(Cercospora sojina), rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi), brown stem rot(Phytophthora sojae), and Rhizoctonia damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of kidney bean: anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemthianum).

Diseases of peanut: leaf spot (Cercospora personata), brown leaf spot(Cercospora arachidicola) and southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii).

Diseases of garden pea: powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi), and root rot(Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi).

Diseases of potato: early blight (Alternaria solani), late blight(Phytophthora infestans), pink rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica),powdery scab (Spongospora subterranean f. sp. subterranea), and blackscurf (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of strawberry: powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca humuli), andanthracnose (Glomerella cingulata).

Diseases of tea: net blister blight (Exobasidium reticulatum), whitescab (Elsinoe leucospila), gray blight (Pestalotiopsis sp.), andanthracnose (Colletotrichum theaesinensis).

Diseases of tobacco: brown spot (Alternaria longipes), powdery mildew(Erysiphe cichoracearum), anthracnose (Colletotrichum tabacum), downymildew (Peronospora tabacina), and black shank (Phytophthoranicotianae).

Diseases of rapeseed: sclerotinia rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), andRhizoctonia damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of cotton: Rhizoctonia damping-off (Rhizoctonia solani).

Diseases of sugar beet: Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora beticola), leafblight (Rhizoctonia solani), Root rot (Rhizoctonia solani), andAphanomyces root rot (Aphanomyces cochlioides).

Diseases of rose: black spot (Diplocarpon rosae), powdery mildew(Sphaerotheca pannosa), and downy mildew (Peronospora sparsa).

Diseases of chrysanthemum and asteraceous plants: downy mildew (Bremialactucae), leaf blight (Septoria chrysanthemiindici), and white rust(Puccinia horiana).

Diseases of various groups: diseases caused by Pythium spp. (Pythiumaphanidermatum, Pythium debarianum, Pythium graminicola, Pythiumirregulare, Pythium ultimum), gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), Sclerotiniarot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), and southern blight (Sclerotiumrolfsii).

Disease of Japanese radish: Alternaria leaf spot (Alternariabrassicicola).

Diseases of turfgrass: dollar spot (Sclerotinia homeocarpa), and brownpatch and large patch (Rhizoctonia solani).

Disease of banana: sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis, Mycosphaerellamusicola).

Disease of sunflower: downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii).

Seed diseases or diseases in the early stages of the growth of variousplants caused by Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp.,Gibberella spp., Tricoderma spp., Thielaviopsis spp., Rhizopus spp.,Mucor spp., Corticium spp., Phoma spp., Rhizoctonia spp. and Diplodiaspp.

Viral diseases of various plants mediated by Polymixa spp. or Olpidiumspp. and so on.

Among the above, particularly high control efficacy of the presentinvention is expected for foliage diseases, soilborne diseases andseed-borne diseases of various plants caused by Oomycetes.

In the case of spray treatment, examples of plant diseases for whichparticularly high control efficacy of the present invention is expectedinclude brown stem rot (Phytophthora sojae) of soybean, black shank(Phytophthora nicotianae) of tobacco, downy mildew (Plasmoparahalstedii) of sunflower, late blight (Phytophthora infestans) of potatoand downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) of grape.

In the case of treatment of seed, bulb or the like, examples of plantdiseases for which particularly high control efficacy of the presentinvention is expected include damping-off and root rot of wheat, barley,corn, rice, sorghum, soybean, cotton, rapeseed, sugar beet and turfgrasscaused by Pythium spp. (Pythium aphanidermatum, Pythium debarianum,Pythium graminicola, Pythium irregulare, Pythium ultimum), brown stemrot of soybean, black shank of tobacco, downy mildew of sunflower, andAphanomyces root rot (Aphanomyces cochlioides) of sugar beet.

Plant diseases can be controlled by applying effective amounts of thecompound I and ethaboxam to the plant pathogens or to such a place asplant and soil where the plant pathogens inhabit or may inhabit.

Plant diseases can be controlled by applying effective amounts of thecompound I and ethaboxam to a plant or soil for growing plant. Examplesof a plant which is the object of the application include foliages ofplant, seeds of plant, bulbs of plant. As used herein, the bulb means abulb, corm, rhizoma, stem tuber, root tuber and rhizophore.

When the application is conducted to plant pathogens, a plant or thesoil for growing plant, the compound I and ethaboxam may be separatelyapplied for the same period, but they are typically applied as acomposition for controlling plant diseases of the present invention forsimplicity of the application.

Examples of the controlling method of the present invention includetreatment of foliage of plants, such as foliage application; treatmentof cultivation lands of plants, such as soil treatment; treatment ofseeds, such as seed sterilization and seed coating; and treatment ofbulbs such as seed tuber.

Examples of the treatment of foliage of plants in the controlling methodof the present invention include treatment methods of applying tosurfaces of plants, such as foliage spraying and trunk spraying.Examples of the treatment method of directly absorbing to plants beforetransplantation include a method of soaking entire plants or roots. Aformulation obtained by using a solid carrier such as a mineral powdermay be adhered to the roots.

Examples of the soil treatment method in the controlling method of thepresent invention include spraying onto the soil, soil incorporation,and perfusion of a chemical liquid into the soil (irrigation of chemicalliquid, soil injection, and dripping of chemical liquid). Examples ofthe place to be treated include planting hole, furrow, around a plantinghole, around a furrow, entire surface of cultivation lands, the partsbetween the soil and the plant, area between roots, area beneath thetrunk, main furrow, growing soil, seedling raising box, seedling raisingtray and seedbed. Examples of the treating period include beforeseeding, at the time of seeding, immediately after seeding, raisingperiod, before settled planting, at the time of settled planting, andgrowing period after settled planting. In the above soil treatment,active ingredients may be simultaneously applied to the plant, or asolid fertilizer such as a paste fertilizer containing activeingredients may be applied to the soil. Also active ingredients may bemixed in an irrigation liquid, and, examples thereof include injectingto irrigation facilities such as irrigation tube, irrigation pipe andsprinkler, mixing into the flooding liquid between furrows and mixinginto a water culture medium. Alternatively, an irrigation liquid ismixed with active ingredients in advance and, for example, used fortreatment by an appropriate irrigating method including the irrigatingmethod mentioned above and the other methods such as sprinkling andflooding.

Examples of the method of treating seeds or bulbs in the controllingmethod of the present invention include a method for treating seeds orbulbs to be protected from plant diseases with the composition forcontrolling plant diseases of the present invention and specificexamples thereof include a spraying treatment in which a suspension ofthe composition for controlling plant diseases of the present inventionis atomized and sprayed on the seed surface or the bulb surface; asmearing treatment in which a wettable powder, an emulsion or a flowableagent of the composition for controlling plant diseases of the presentinvention is applied to seeds or bulbs with a small amount of wateradded or without dilution; an immersing treatment in which seeds areimmersed in a solution of the composition for controlling plant diseasesof the present invention for a certain period of time; film coatingtreatment; and pellet coating treatment.

When foliage of a plant or soil is treated with the compound I andethaboxam, the amounts of the compound I and ethaboxam used for thetreatment may be changed depending on the kind of the plant to betreated, the kind and the occurring frequency of the diseases to becontrolled, formulation form, treatment period, climatic condition andso on, but the total amount of the compound I and ethaboxam (hereinafterreferred to as the amount of the active ingredients) per 10,000 m² istypically 1 to 10,000 g and preferably 2 to 1,000 g.

The emulsion, wettable powder and flowable agent are typically dilutedwith water, and then sprinkled for the treatment. In these case, thetotal concentration of the compound I and ethaboxam is typically in therange of 0.0001 to 3% by weight and preferably 0.0005 to 1% by weight.The powder agent and granule agent are typically used for the treatmentwithout being diluted.

In the treatment of seeds, the amount of the active ingredients to beapplied is typically in the range of 0.001 to 10 g, preferably 0.01 to 3g per 1 kg of seeds.

The control method of the present invention can be used in agriculturallands such as fields, paddy fields, lawns and orchards or innon-agricultural lands.

The present invention can be used to control diseases in agriculturallands for cultivating the following “plant” and the like withoutadversely affecting the plant and so on.

Examples of the crops are as follows:

crops: corn, rice, wheat, barley, rye, oat, sorghum, cotton, soybean,peanut, buckwheat, beet, rapeseed, sunflower, sugar cane, tobacco, etc.;

vegetables: solanaceous vegetables (eggplant, tomato, pimento, pepper,potato, etc.), cucurbitaceous vegetables (cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini,water melon, melon, squash, etc.), cruciferous vegetables (Japaneseradish, white turnip, horseradish, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, cabbage,leaf mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), asteraceous vegetables(burdock, crown daisy, artichoke, lettuce, etc.), liliaceous vegetables(green onion, onion, garlic, and asparagus), ammiaceous vegetables(carrot, parsley, celery, parsnip, etc.), chenopodiaceous vegetables(spinach, Swiss chard, etc.), lamiaceous vegetables (Perilla frutescens,mint, basil, etc.), strawberry, sweet potato, Dioscorea japonica,colocasia, etc.;

flowers;

foliage plants;

turf grasses;

fruits: pomaceous fruits (apple, pear, Japanese pear, Chinese quince,quince, etc.), stone fleshy fruits (peach, plum, nectarine, Prunus mume,cherry fruit, apricot, prune, etc.), citrus fruits (Citrus unshiu,orange, lemon, rime, grapefruit, etc.), nuts (chestnuts, walnuts,hazelnuts, almond, pistachio, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, etc.),berries (blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, raspberry, etc.), grape, kakifruit, olive, Japanese plum, banana, coffee, date palm, coconuts, etc.,and

trees other than fruit trees; tea, mulberry, flowering plant, roadsidetrees (ash, birch, dogwood, Eucalyptus, Ginkgo biloba, lilac, maple,Quercus, poplar, Judas tree, Liquidambar formosana, plane tree, zelkova,Japanese arborvitae, fir wood, hemlock, juniper, Pinus, Picea, and Taxuscuspidate), etc.

Particularly, the control method of the present invention can be used tocontrol diseases in agricultural lands for cultivating corn, rice,wheat, barley, sorghum, cotton, soybean, beet, rapeseed, turf grasses orpotato.

The aforementioned “plants” include plants, to which resistance to HPPDinhibitors such as isoxaflutole, ALS inhibitors such as imazethapyr orthifensulfuron-methyl, EPSP synthetase inhibitors such as glyphosate,glutamine synthetase inhibitors such as the glufosinate, acetyl-CoAcarboxylase inhibitors such as sethoxydim, and herbicides such asbromoxynil, dicamba, 2,4-D, etc. has been conferred by a classicalbreeding method or genetic engineering technique.

Examples of a “plant” on which resistance has been conferred by aclassical breeding method include rape, wheat, sunflower and riceresistant to imidazolinone ALS inhibitory herbicides such asimazethapyr, which are already commercially available under a productname of Clearfield (registered trademark). Similarly, there is soybeanon which resistance to sulfonylurea ALS inhibitory herbicides such asthifensulfuron-methyl has been conferred by a classical breeding method,which is already commercially available under a product name of STSsoybean. Similarly, examples on which resistance to acetyl-CoAcarboxylase inhibitors such as trione oxime or aryloxy phenoxypropionicacid herbicides has been conferred by a classical breeding methodinclude SR corn. The plant on which resistance to acetyl-CoA carboxylaseinhibitors has been conferred is described in Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. USA), vol. 87, pp. 7175-7179 (1990). A variation ofacetyl-CoA carboxylase resistant to an acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitoris reported in Weed Science, vol. 53, pp. 728-746 (2005) and a plantresistant to acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors can be generated byintroducing a gene of such an acetyl-CoA carboxylase variation into aplant by genetically engineering technology, or by introducing avariation conferring resistance into a plant acetyl-CoA carboxylase.Furthermore, plants resistant to acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors orALS inhibitors or the like can be generated by introducing asite-directed amino acid substitution variation into an acetyl-CoAcarboxylase gene or the ALS gene of the plant by introduction a nucleicacid into which has been introduced a base substitution variationrepresented Chimeraplasty Technique (Gura T. 1999. Repairing theGenome's Spelling Mistakes. Science 285: 316-318) into a plant cell.

Examples of a plant on which resistance has been conferred by geneticengineering technology include corn, soybean, cotton, rape, sugar beetresistant to glyphosate, which is already commercially available under aproduct name of RoundupReady (registered trademark), AgrisureGT, etc.Similarly, there are corn, soybean, cotton and rape which are maderesistant to glufosinate by genetic engineering technology, a kind,which is already commercially available under a product name ofLibertyLink (registered trademark). A cotton made resistant tobromoxynil by genetic engineering technology is already commerciallyavailable under a product name of BXN likewise.

The aforementioned “plants” include genetically engineered cropsproduced using such genetic engineering techniques, which, for example,are able to synthesize selective toxins as known in genus Bacillus.

Examples of toxins expressed in such genetically engineered cropsinclude: insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus cereus or Bacilluspopilliae; δ-endotoxins such as Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1F, Cry1Fa2, Cry2Ab,Cry3A, Cry3Bb1 or Cry9C, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis;insecticidal proteins such as VIP1, VIP2, VIP3, or VIP3A; insecticidalproteins derived from nematodes; toxins generated by animals, such asscorpion toxin, spider toxin, bee toxin, or insect-specific neurotoxins;mold fungi toxins; plant lectin; agglutinin; protease inhibitors such asa trypsin inhibitor, a serine protease inhibitor, patatin, cystatin, ora papain inhibitor; ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIP) such as lycine,corn-RIP, abrin, luffin, saporin, or briodin; steroid-metabolizingenzymes such as 3-hydroxysteroid oxidase, ecdysteroid-UDP-glucosyltransferase, or cholesterol oxidase; an ecdysone inhibitor; HMG-COAreductase; ion channel inhibitors such as a sodium channel inhibitor orcalcium channel inhibitor; juvenile hormone esterase; a diuretic hormonereceptor; stilbene synthase; bibenzyl synthase; chitinase; andglucanase.

Toxins expressed in such genetically engineered crops also include:hybrid toxins of δ-endotoxin proteins such as Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1F,Cry1Fa2, Cry2Ab, Cry3A, Cry3Bb1, Cry9C, Cry34Ab or Cry35Ab andinsecticidal proteins such as VIP1, VIP2, VIP3 or VIP3A; partiallydeleted toxins; and modified toxins. Such hybrid toxins are producedfrom a new combination of the different domains of such proteins, usinga genetic engineering technique. As a partially deleted toxin, Cry1Abcomprising a deletion of a portion of an amino acid sequence has beenknown. A modified toxin is produced by substitution of one or multipleamino acids of natural toxins.

Examples of such toxins and genetically engineered plants capable ofsynthesizing such toxins are described in EP-A-0 374 753, WO 93/07278,WO 95/34656, EP-A-0 427 529, EP-A-451 878, WO 03/052073, etc.

Toxins contained in such genetically engineered plants are able toconfer resistance particularly to insect pests belonging to Coleoptera,Hemiptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Nematodes, to the plants.

Genetically engineered plants, which comprise one or multipleinsecticidal pest-resistant genes and which express one or multipletoxins, have already been known, and some of such genetically engineeredplants have already been on the market. Examples of such geneticallyengineered plants include YieldGard (registered trademark) (a cornvariety for expressing Cry1Ab toxin), YieldGard Rootworm (registeredtrademark) (a corn variety for expressing Cry3Bb1 toxin), YieldGard Plus(registered trademark) (a corn variety for expressing Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1toxins), Herculex I (registered trademark) (a corn variety forexpressing phosphinotricine N-acetyl transferase (PAT) so as to conferresistance to Cry1Fa2 toxin and glufosinate), NuCOTN33B (registeredtrademark) (a cotton variety for expressing Cry1Ac toxin), Bollgard I(registered trademark) (a cotton variety for expressing Cry1Ac toxin),Bollgard II (registered trademark) (a cotton variety for expressingCry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins), VIPCOT (registered trademark) (a cottonvariety for expressing VIP toxin), NewLeaf (registered trademark) (apotato variety for expressing Cry3A toxin), NatureGard (registeredtrademark) Agrisure (registered trademark) GT Advantage (GA21glyphosate-resistant trait), Agrisure (registered trademark) CBAdvantage (Bt11 corn borer (CB) trait), and Protecta (registeredtrademark).

The aforementioned “plants” also include crops produced using a geneticengineering technique, which have ability to generate antipathogenicsubstances having selective action.

A PR protein and the like have been known as such antipathogenicsubstances (PRPs, EP-A-0 392 225). Such antipathogenic substances andgenetically engineered crops that generate them are described in EP-A-0392 225, WO 95/33818, EP-A-0 353 191, etc.

Examples of such antipathogenic substances expressed in geneticallyengineered crops include: ion channel inhibitors such as a sodiumchannel inhibitor or a calcium channel inhibitor (KP1, KP4 and KP6toxins, etc., which are produced by viruses, have been known); stilbenesynthase; bibenzyl synthase; chitinase; glucanase; a PR protein; andantipathogenic substances generated by microorganisms, such as a peptideantibiotic, an antibiotic having a hetero ring, a protein factorassociated with resistance to plant diseases (which is called a plantdisease-resistant gene and is described in WO 03/000906). Theseantipathogenic substances and genetically engineered plants producingsuch substances are described in EP-A-0392225, WO95/33818, EP-A-0353191,etc.

The “plant” mentioned above includes plants on which advantageouscharacters such as characters improved in oil stuff ingredients orcharacters having reinforced amino acid content have been conferred bygenetically engineering technology. Examples thereof include VISTIVE(registered trademark) low linolenic soybean having reduced linoleniccontent) or high-lysine (high-oil) corn (corn with increased lysine oroil content).

Stack varieties are also included in which a plurality of advantageouscharacters such as the classic herbicide characters mentioned above orherbicide tolerance genes, harmful insect resistance genes,antipathogenic substance producing genes, characters improved in oilstuff ingredients or characters having reinforced amino acid content arecombined.

EXAMPLES

While the present invention will be more specifically described by wayof formulation examples, seed treatment examples, and test examples inthe following, the present invention is not limited to the followingexamples. In the following examples, the part represents part by weightunless otherwise noted in particular.

Formulation Example 1

Fully mixed are 2.5 parts of ethaboxam, 1.25 parts of the compound I, 14parts of polyoxyethylene styrylphenyl ether, 6 parts of calcium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and 76.25 parts of xylene, so as to obtain anemulsion.

Formulation Example 2

Five (5) parts of ethaboxam, 5 parts of the compound I, 35 parts of amixture of white carbon and a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfateammonium salt (weight ratio 1:1) and 55 parts of water are mixed, andthe mixture is subjected to fine grinding according to a wet grindingmethod, so as to obtain a flowable formulation.

Formulation Example 3

Five (5) parts of ethaboxam, 10 parts of the compound I, 1.5 parts ofsorbitan trioleate and 28.5 parts of an aqueous solution containing 2parts of polyvinyl alcohol are mixed, and the mixture is subjected tofine grinding according to a wet grinding method. Thereafter, 45 partsof an aqueous solution containing 0.05 part of Xanthan gum and 0.1 partof aluminum magnesium silicate is added to the resultant mixture, and 10parts of propylene glycol is further added thereto. The obtained mixtureis blended by stirring, so as to obtain a flowable formulation.

Formulation Example 4

Forty (40) parts of ethaboxam, 5 parts of the compound I, 5 parts ofpropylene glycol (manufactured by Nacalai Tesque), 5 parts ofSoprophorFLK (manufactured by Rhodia Nikka), 0.2 parts of an anti-form Cemulsion (manufactured by Dow Corning), 0.3 parts of proxel GXL(manufactured by Arch Chemicals) and 49.5 parts of ion-exchange waterare mixed so as to obtain a bulk slurry. 150 parts of glass beads(diameter=1 mm) are put into 100 parts of the slurry, and the slurry isground for 2 hours while being cooled with a cooling water. Afterground, the resultant is filtered to remove the glass beads and aflowable formulation is obtained.

Formulation Example 5

Fifty (50) parts of the compound I, 0.5 parts of ethaboxam, 38.5 partsof NN kaolin clay (manufactured by Takehara Chemical Industrial), 10parts of MorwetD425 and 1.5 parts of MorwerEFW (manufactured by AkzoNobel Corp.) are mixed to obtain an AI premix. This premix is groundwith a jet mill so as to obtain a powder formulation.

Formulation Example 6

One (1) part of ethaboxam, 4 parts of the compound I, 1 part ofsynthetic hydrated silicon oxide, 2 parts of calcium lignin sulfonate,30 parts of bentonite and 62 parts of kaolin clay are fully ground andmixed, and the resultant mixture is added with water and fully kneaded,and then subjected to granulation and drying so as to obtain a granuleformulation.

Formulation Example 7

One (1) part of ethaboxam, 2 parts of the compound I, 87 parts of kaolinclay and 10 parts of talc are fully ground and mixed so as to obtain apowder formulation.

Formulation Example 8

One (1) part of ethaboxam, 40 parts of the compound I, 3 parts ofcalcium lignin sulfonate, 2 parts of sodium lauryl sulfate and 54 partsof synthetic hydrated silicon oxide are fully ground and mixed so as toobtain wettable powders.

Seed Treatment Example 1

An emulsion prepared as in Formulation example 1 is used for smeartreatment in an amount of 500 ml per 100 kg of dried sorghum seeds usinga rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced by Hans-UlrichHege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 2

A flowable formulation prepared as in Formulation example 2 is used forsmear treatment in an amount of 50 ml per 10 kg of dried rape seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 3

A flowable formulation prepared as in Formulation example 3 is used forsmear treatment in an amount of 40 ml per 10 kg of dried corn seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 4

Five (5) parts of a flowable formulation prepared as in Formulationexample 4, 5 parts of pigment BPD6135 (manufactured by Sun Chemical) and35 parts of water are mixed to prepare a mixture. The mixture is usedfor smear treatment in an amount of 60 ml per 10 kg of dried rice seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 5

A powder agent prepared as in Formulation example 5 is used for powdercoating treatment in an amount of 50 g per 10 kg of dried corn seeds soas to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 6

An emulsion prepared as in Formulation example 1 is used for smeartreatment in an amount of 500 ml per 100 kg of dried sugar beet seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 7

A flowable formulation prepared as in Formulation example 2 is used forsmear treatment in an amount of 50 ml per 10 kg of dried soybean seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 8

A flowable formulation prepared as in Formulation example 3 is used forsmear treatment in an amount of 50 ml per 10 kg of dried wheat seedsusing a rotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced byHans-Ulrich Hege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 9

Five (5) parts of a flowable formulation prepared as in Formulationexample 4, 5 parts of pigment BPD6135 (manufactured by Sun Chemical) and35 parts of water are mixed and the resultant mixture is used for smeartreatment in an amount of 70 ml per 10 kg of potato tuber pieces using arotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced by Hans-UlrichHege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 10

Five (5) parts of a flowable formulation prepared as in Formulationexample 4, 5 parts of pigment BPD6135 (manufactured by Sun Chemical) and35 parts of water are mixed and the resultant mixture is used for smeartreatment in an amount of 70 ml per 10 kg of sunflower seeds using arotary seed treatment machine (seed dresser, produced by Hans-UlrichHege GmbH) so as to obtain treated seeds.

Seed Treatment Example 11

A powder prepared as in Formulation example 5 is used for powder coatingtreatment in an amount of 40 g per 10 kg of dried cotton seeds so as toobtain treated seeds.

Test Example 1

A DMSO solution of the compound I and a DMSO solution of ethaboxam wererespectively prepared. These solutions were mixed to prepare a DMSOsolution containing predetermined concentrations of the compound I andethaboxam. Ten (10) μL of the DMSO solution and 1 g of cucumber(Sagamihanjiro) seeds were mixed by shaking in a 15-ml conical tube andthen allowed to stand overnight to prepare treated seeds. A plastic potwas filled with sandy soil and the treated seeds were sown on it andthen covered with sandy soil which had been mixed with a bran culture ofPythium damping-off pathogen (Pythium irregulare). The sown seeds werewatered and then cultured in a cultivation room at 20° C. for 8 days.The occurrence of Pythium damping-off diseases was checked and theincidence of disease was calculated by Equation 1.

For comparison, a DMSO solution containing a predetermined concentrationof ethaboxam was prepared and subjected to the same test and then theincidence of disease was determined.

In order to calculate a control value, the same test was conducted inwhich the plants had been treated with none of the test compounds andthe incidence of disease was determined.

The control value was calculated by the Equation 2 based on theincidence of disease thus determined.

The results are shown in Table 1.Incidence of disease=(Number of seedlings in which development ofdisease was observed)×100/(Total number of sowed seeds)  “Equation 1”Control value=100×(A−B)/A  “Equation 2”A: Incidence of disease of plants treated with none of the testcompoundsB: Incidence of disease of plants treated with at least one testcompound

TABLE 1 Test compounds Ethaboxam Compound I Active ingredient Activeingredient dosage (g/100 kg dosage (g/100 kg seeds) seeds) Control value10 100 79 10 20 79 10 0 64 2 0 43

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, a composition for controlling plantdiseases having high activity, and a method for effectively controllingplant diseases can be provided.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A composition for controlling plantdiseases comprising, as active ingredients,4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam.
 2. Thecomposition according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid to ethaboxam is in the rangeof 0.005:1 to 1000:1.
 3. A seed treatment agent comprising, as activeingredients, 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam.4. A plant seed treated with effective amounts of4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam.
 5. A methodfor controlling plant diseases which comprises applying effectiveamounts of 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and ethaboxam toa plant or soil for growing plant.
 6. The method according to claim 5,wherein the plant diseases is plant diseases caused by Pythium spp.
 7. Amethod for controlling plant diseases comprising applying onto a plant,a combination of 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid andethaboxam.